Cal Poly Pomona education professor Doreen Nelson has been named one of five 2006 recipients of the prestigious California State University Wang Family Excellence Award. The Wang award was established in fall 1998 when then-Trustee Stanley T. Wang provided $1 million to reward outstanding faculty and administrators. The award is designed to "celebrate thos CSU faculty and administrators who, through extraordinary commitment and dedication, have distnguished themselves by exemplary contributions and achievements in their academic disciplines and areas of assignment."
Professor Doreen Nelson received a $20,000 award at the May 2006 CSU Trustees' meeting. Recognized by the New York Times as one of the 30 most innovative educators in the United States, Nelson pioneered the field of design thinking in education. She developed the nation's first Master of Arts degree program in education with an emphasis on Design and Creativitiy: Applying Technology where studetns of any age learn to design and construct a city of the future in their classrooms. The methodology demonstrates how design and creativitiy enhance and extend the teaching of math, sciences, language arts and social studies. It has been practiced world-wide in public schools, museums and universities.
Nelson, who bagan at Cal Poly Pomona 20 years ago, teaches in the College of Education & Integrative Studeies and in the College of Environmental Design. She received her master's in Educational Administration with Distinction from Cal State Northridge and her bachelor's in Arts and Humanaities from UCLA. She is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects, as well as an author, producer, and director of educational firlms and a major contributor to computer design firms.
